Confessions of a Failed Southern Lady

by Florence King | Nonfiction |
ISBN: 0312050631 Global Overview for this book
Registered by ramson of New Orleans, Louisiana USA on 3/20/2003
Buy from one of these Booksellers:
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18 journalers for this copy...
Journal Entry 1 by ramson from New Orleans, Louisiana USA on Thursday, March 20, 2003
Read this a few years ago & I remember it meriting a few chuckles. Available for trade or wild release.

Journal Entry 2 by ramson from New Orleans, Louisiana USA on Sunday, April 13, 2003
Sending out via postal release to Kayters in Georgia tomorrow.

Journal Entry 3 by kayters from Lawrenceville, Georgia USA on Friday, April 25, 2003
To be read.

Journal Entry 4 by kayters from Lawrenceville, Georgia USA on Wednesday, July 16, 2003
Wow - great read! I could hardly bear to put it down! Though it changed tone towards the end where King discovers her true sexuality - so she says, it's not fleshed out enough that the reader truly believes King knows her sexuality for sure - it's a great southern read for sure. Rita Mae Brown fans will love it. (And I'm a Rita Mae Brown fan, so there you go!) Reminded me in parts of Brown's ALMA MATER - possibly ALMA MATER was partially inspired by this read? At any rate, quite a read! New Flarnz King fan here!

Journal Entry 5 by kayters from Lawrenceville, Georgia USA on Thursday, July 17, 2003
Here is the book ray order for this book. Please PM the next person in line for their address when you are ready to release the book to them. If they do not respond within three days, PM them again. If they do not respond within a week of your first message, PM the person after them and contact me. I keep my book rays open unless they get too unwieldy, so the order may change (I try to keep it geographically sensible.)

Maurean - FL
Kalipriestess - FL
SKCReader - VA
PHC - VA
WarEagle78 - AL
RayneBair - AL
JamieH2003 - WV
Meshe - GA
Sejent - KY
Ardy - PA
Wildflower67 - NJ
MarciNYC - NJ
LeighBCD - England
Zenita - Denmark
Wandeca - ON
Mellion108 - MI
Eriko1908 - MN <---------- currently has
Booknose - IN
MysteryFan03 - MO
Soraidh - MO
Kymberlie - TX
Tamster33 - CA
Reader1212 - WA
DeMille02 - WA

Journal Entry 6 by kayters at BookCrosser in Atlantic Beach, Florida USA on Thursday, July 24, 2003
Released on Thursday, July 24, 2003 at BookCrosser in Atlantic Beach, Florida USA.

Journal Entry 7 by Maurean from Atlantic Beach, Florida USA on Wednesday, July 30, 2003
Well, I just rec'd this in the mailbox today, and as luck would have it, I JUST finished my current read this afternoon, so I plan to start on this one tonight!
Thanks Kayters for starting this, and I'll journal again as soon as I've finished!

Journal Entry 8 by Maurean from Atlantic Beach, Florida USA on Saturday, August 2, 2003
I found this book to be very entertaining. A rather humorous, often poignant, quick read that made me laugh-out-loud several times!
The description by Susan Brownmiller, refering to Ms. King as "a Bombeck with bite" is right on target.
Thanks for sharing this one, Kayters.

This will be mailed off to Kalipriestess on Monday, 8/4.
Happy Reading, everybody!!

Journal Entry 9 by kalipriestess from Tallahassee, Florida USA on Saturday, August 23, 2003
Received -- And I am already bad because I did not journal that I received it right away! I blame it on my stupid cable connection that keeps going out on me every five minutes!! Anyway, I've already gotten sucked in and I see my gorgeous Southern family in its pages. I'll tell my mother she has to read this one!

I loved this book. I kept calling my mother to read passages to her and asking her if that was true to her experience growing up Southern. Parts of this book were laugh out loud funny and other parts brought tears to my eyes. That's about the best you can ask of an author.

Journal Entry 10 by skcreader from Roanoke, Virginia USA on Wednesday, October 29, 2003
received in the mail yesterday - looks like a quick read and then will continue on its' journey!

Journal Entry 11 by kalipriestess at Bookring/ray in -- Mailed, -- By post or by hand/ in person -- USA on Wednesday, October 29, 2003
Released on Friday, October 24, 2003 at Bookring/ray in USPS, postal release USA.

Sent to skcreader in Roanoke, VA. (Late entry AGAIN!)

Journal Entry 12 by skcreader from Roanoke, Virginia USA on Monday, November 3, 2003
No wonder this book sounded familiar - I read it a few years back!!! Enjoyable read...sending on to the next person...

Journal Entry 13 by PHC from Richmond, Virginia USA on Saturday, November 8, 2003
Wow! I am being buried in an avalanche of bookrings! I will get to this one as soon as possible. :-)
Thanks kayters, for starting this one!

Journal Entry 14 by PHC from Richmond, Virginia USA on Saturday, January 17, 2004
Sorry if it seems this book entered the "Bermuda Triangle". It will be moving again when I hear back from the next person in line.

Journal Entry 15 by PHC at Bookring/ray in -- Mailed, -- By post or by hand/ in person -- USA on Thursday, February 12, 2004
Released on Tuesday, February 10, 2004 at Bookring/ray in USPS, postal release USA.

USPS DC tracking # 0303 0130 0002 5444 8713
Sorry it took so long, but she is finally on her way....

Journal Entry 16 by WarEagle78 from Opelika, Alabama USA on Wednesday, February 18, 2004
Arrived in mail today, thanks PHC! Can't wait to read it, it's honestly been on my list for years. Will journal again when read.

Journal Entry 17 by WarEagle78 from Opelika, Alabama USA on Thursday, February 26, 2004
Hmm. Interesting book about growing up Southern in the 1950's. Not quite as funny as I thought it would be (although it certainly had its moments), and I didn't know it got so into lesbianism in the last third. King's writing is wry and descriptive. Some of my favorite passages were descriptive, such as the explanation of the decor in the house Grandma inherits. The Ole Miss years are wonderful to read, with their broad dialect and on-target renderings of several of the Deep South college stereotypes of the day.

It's worth reading, and I'm glad I finally did. But it just wasn't as funny as I thought it would be.

Will send out to RayneBair on my next post office visit. Thanks, kayters, for putting me on the list!!!

Journal Entry 18 by WarEagle78 from Opelika, Alabama USA on Saturday, March 13, 2004
On its way to Montgomery, probably will arrive Monday. Sorry for the delay!

Journal Entry 19 by raynebair from Wetumpka, Alabama USA on Monday, March 15, 2004
Received in the mail today from WarEagle78. Will begin reading asap.

Journal Entry 20 by jamieh2003 from Wiley Ford, West Virginia USA on Monday, April 12, 2004
Yay! It came in todays mail. I will be starting this one this evening.

Journal Entry 21 by jamieh2003 from Wiley Ford, West Virginia USA on Wednesday, April 14, 2004
I thoroughly enjoyed this memoir by King. I laughed so hard at Granny and Jensy's descriptions of obstetrical hell that I nearly wet myself. Having lived a good portion of my early life in the south I am completely familiar with the phenomena of people coming to "stay awhile" and not departing for months/years so that also rang very true for me as well. Thanks for the opportunity to read this kayters...I really enjyed it.
I will be getting this off to meshe in the mail in the next day or two.

Journal Entry 22 by jamieh2003 at on Saturday, April 17, 2004
Released on Friday, April 16, 2004 at Mailed to a fellow Bookcrosser in n/a, n/a Controlled Releases.

to meshe via media mail

Journal Entry 23 by meshe from Bonaire, Georgia USA on Monday, April 19, 2004
received in the mail today, have to finish by current ring book and will get to this asap.

Journal Entry 24 by meshe from Bonaire, Georgia USA on Saturday, May 8, 2004
this book just didn't capture me. I love stories about quirky Southern families, but I didn't really enjoy this one. Thanks for including me in this bookring. I'll mail as soon as I get the next address.


May 17, 2004 mailed today to next participant.

Journal Entry 25 by sejent from Louisville, Kentucky USA on Monday, May 24, 2004
Received in today's mail...will start reading soon and will journal again when I have finished.

Journal Entry 26 by sejent from Louisville, Kentucky USA on Sunday, August 15, 2004
I PM'd Ardy several times with no response, so I am sending on to Wildflower67 in Petersburg, NJ.

Journal Entry 27 by Wildflower67 from Bellingham, Washington USA on Friday, August 20, 2004
Arrived today. I will start it over the weekend. :)

Journal Entry 28 by Wildflower67 from Bellingham, Washington USA on Tuesday, August 24, 2004
I really enjoyed this book and actually finished it in just a couple of days. There were so many parts that had me laughing out loud, but then the last part of the book became rather serious.

It's an autobiography about the author's childhood starting with her mother meeting her father up until the ending when she finishes college and starts her life in the real world.

Her first day of Kindergarten had to be my favorite part. She takes a look around at her classmates clinging and crying for their mothers and realizes she hates children, is dying for a cup of coffee, and tests out of her class by the end of the day.

Also her quest to become sexually experinced without actually dating anyone or losing her good reputation was absolutely hilarious.

Definetely a great entertaining read.

Journal Entry 29 by Wildflower67 at on Monday, August 30, 2004

Released 19 yrs ago (8/30/2004 UTC) at

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

RELEASE NOTES:

Controlled release (mailed to another bookcrosser for the purposes of a bookring).

Journal Entry 30 by MarciNYC from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania USA on Thursday, September 2, 2004
This is the first ring/ray I signed up for - and it's here at last! Thank you Kayters for organising this and thanks to Wildflower67 for sending it to another part of the Garden State. I will admit, it's going to be more than my usual two-week turnaround on this book. I'm in the midst of a big audit at work, so the next two weeks will be horrific. That said, I do hope to have this on the road and across the the pond early October.

Journal Entry 31 by MarciNYC from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania USA on Monday, September 6, 2004
Okay - after worrying that I wasn't going to get to this book in a decent amount of time, I finish it this weekend. *g*

I liked this book, but I didn't love it. In short, if I had taken something else into the bathroom with me during my soak, I wouldn't have finished this. I did find some amusing moments, especially the echolalia of the ladies down at Ole Miss, but for the most part, it was dull to me. The humor was lost on me - maybe because I'm a Yankee?

I'm ready to send this on to LeighBCD as soon as I have an address from her...

Journal Entry 32 by kayters from Lawrenceville, Georgia USA on Monday, September 6, 2004
Don't hurry on the reading of this book just b/c it is a bookray. The idea is that we all get to read it. :)

Journal Entry 33 by LeighBCD on Sunday, September 26, 2004
Hi - thanks Marci! I have been in Australia the last few weeks so this was a very nice surprise. I will read this and pass it along to the next person soon.

Released on Thursday, December 30, 2004 at about 8:00:00 AM BX time (GMT-06:00) Central Time (US & Canada) at Post Office, Broadgate Circle, EC2 in London, England United Kingdom.

RELEASE NOTES:

On its way to the next member of the bookray... I hope you enjoy it!

Journal Entry 35 by Zenita from København K - City, København Amt Denmark on Monday, January 3, 2005
Recived today.

Journal Entry 36 by Zenita from København K - City, København Amt Denmark on Tuesday, February 8, 2005
I enjoyed this book, but like some of the others were saying, you probably have to be a southerner to really find it hilarious.

Will send it to Canada on my next visit to the post office (12/2-05).

Journal Entry 37 by Wandeca from Kitchener, Ontario Canada on Friday, February 18, 2005
Arrived in yesterday's mail. I'm planning to read this book in the next week of two.

Journal Entry 38 by Wandeca from Kitchener, Ontario Canada on Tuesday, April 5, 2005
I apoligize for keeping the book so long. Unfortunately I wasn't able to finish reading. I'm sure it wasn't anything wrong with the book itself, it's my mood.

I'll be contacting the next person in line and will be mailing as soon as possible.

Journal Entry 39 by mellion108 from Waterford, Michigan USA on Monday, April 18, 2005
Thanks for mailing this my way, Wandeca! And thank you, kayters, for sharing.

I have a couple of books that I have to finish and mail out and then I'll start this one. Can't wait!
Trade paperback, 278 pages

From the back cover:
Confessions of a Failed Southern Lady is Florence King's classic memoir of her upbringing in an eccentric Southern family, told with all the uproarious wit and gusto that has made her one of the most admired writers in the country. Florence may have been a disappointment ot her Granny, whose dream of rearing a Perfect Southern Lady would never quite be fulfilled. But after all, as Florence reminds us, "no matter which sex I went to bed with, I never smoked on the street."

"The damndest adventures in autobiographical hilarity to come down the pike in recent years....She is a Bombeck with bite, a female Art Buchwald with Southern sass, an A-one original American humorist down to her wicked, wicked bones." Susan Brownmiller

Journal Entry 40 by mellion108 from Waterford, Michigan USA on Sunday, April 24, 2005
I thought it would take a while for me to get to this, but I picked it up, started reading a few pages, and ended up reading the entire thing. I should be in bed (work in just a few hours), but I got so caught up in this story that I had to stay awake!

I didn't realize this was autobiographical until about halfway into the book. I think I like it even more knowing that it's Ms. King's true life she's recounting (with a bit of Southern weaving to make it interesting). I grew up in the south and still have freaky memories of much older female relatives providing what was to them sacred truths about femininity, gynecological issues, and sexuality--this book really brought that home, although I certainly never endured what King went through!

I fell in love with this book. I thought it was hilarious ah say, hilarious! It's also quite touching and upbeat.

I know I'm now going to have to track down my own copy of this. :) Thanks so much for sharing. I'll be sending this on to Eriko1908 very soon.

Journal Entry 41 by rem_ZWU-580656 on Thursday, May 5, 2005
This BookRay arrived in the mail today...I will be finishing up the book I am on tonight & be starting this one by Saturday...Thanks for sharing!! :O)

Journal Entry 42 by rem_ZWU-580656 on Saturday, May 14, 2005
This was an enjoyable book...some parts had me laughing out loud at the truth in them, while others just had me bored to pieces. It did make me miss the south...it it a place unique unto itself (probably like most places...LOL)

I will be mailing this one out to Booknose on Monday...Thanks for sharing!! :O)

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